Roku LT

Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5

The good: It offers nearly the full Roku experience for $50. More than 1,000 channels are supported, including Netflix, Amazon Instant, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Pandora, MLB.TV, Amazon Cloud Player and Vudu. It also has cross-platform search that scours several major TV and movie services to find content.

The bad: There's still no official YouTube channel. Some services, including Netflix, have an outdated interface compared with what's on other streamers. The Apple TV still works better within the Apple ecosystem.

The cost: $50 to $65

The bottom line: The Roku LT is the best budget streaming-media device, easily topping the $35 Chromecast.

Dayton Audio B652 speakers

Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5

The good: The bookshelf speakers sound great and are affordable.

The bad: They aren't the most attractive speakers you'll see. The spring-clip connectors don't securely grip the speaker wire, so an inadvertent tug might yank it out.

The cost: $44 to $100

The bottom line: The Dayton Audio B652 speakers are the best-sounding stereo speakers you can buy for under $50.

SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip

Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5

The good: It is an audio Swiss Army Knife that plays most audio formats, works with audiobook and subscription music services, can be used as a voice recorder, and tunes in to FM radio - all for under $50.

The bad: You get what you pay for in terms of construction quality.

The cost: $35 to $52

The bottom line: SanDisk's tongue-twister of an MP3 player is a stupefying value and its practical clip-on design is perfect for the gym.

Moshi Mythro earbuds

Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5

The good: The affordably priced in-ear headphones are lightweight and fit comfortably. They sound good for the money and have an integrated microphone and one-button remote for making cell phone calls.

The bad: No carrying case included; no volume controls on integrated remote.